FAQs

If you or someone you know is sleeping rough in Worcestershire, Maggs is here to help.

We offer support through our day centres and outreach teams, providing practical help and a pathway to long-term support:

🏠 Visit Our Day Centres

You can drop in during opening hours for a hot meal, shower, clean clothes, and access to support workers who can help with housing, health, and other needs.

📍 Worcester Day Centre – St Albans, Deansway
📍 Malvern Day Centre – 62 Newton Road

No appointment needed — just come along.

🚶‍♂️ Outreach Support

Our outreach teams work across Worcestershire, connecting with people who may not be accessing services. If you see someone sleeping rough, you can help by contacting StreetLink. This alerts local outreach workers so they can offer support.

📞 Emergency Help

If someone is in urgent need of shelter, contact your local council’s housing team to start a homelessness application. They can provide emergency accommodation:

• Worcester, Wychavon & Malvern – housingforyou.co.uk | 01905 722589
• Redditch & Bromsgrove – bdht.co.uk | 01527 534069
• Wyre Forest – 01562 732928

Out of hours?
Call 01905 722233 (Worcester area) or check our full list of emergency contacts for your district.

Access to many of our services, including our Accommodation Project, is through a referral process. Referrals are made by professional agencies such as:

• Our own day centres and outreach teams
• Local council housing teams
• Citizens Advice
• Probation services
• Other homelessness organisations

If you are experiencing homelessness or sofa surfing and have a local connection to Worcestershire, speak to one of the above organisations to begin the referral process. If you’re already engaging with Maggs at one of our centres, our staff can help guide you through it.

Maggs provides supported accommodation through our Accommodation Project, which is aimed at helping individuals rebuild their lives with stability and support.

However, we do not provide emergency housing. If you are in urgent need of accommodation, you’ll need to contact your local council’s housing team to begin a homelessness application.

Maggs can support you alongside this process through our day centres and outreach services, and in some cases, refer you to our longer-term accommodation options if appropriate.

If you’re concerned about someone sleeping rough, please contact StreetLink.

StreetLink is a national service that allows members of the public in England and Wales to alert local outreach teams about people who are sleeping rough or at risk of doing so.

Once an alert is made, it’s passed on to local outreach workers, who typically go out at night to find and offer support to those sleeping rough.

StreetLink plays an important role in helping teams reach people they might not otherwise be aware of, ensuring more individuals can access the support they need.

We gratefully accept both monetary and physical donations to support our work.

💛 Monetary donations can be made through our online donations page or by visiting the Donate section of our website.

🎒 Physical donations help us meet the daily needs of the people we support. We have a created a comprehensive list of all donations that we’re in need of here.

⚠️ Please note: we’re unable to accept sharp knives, glassware, furniture, feather pillows, or feather duvets for safety and hygiene reasons.

If you’re unsure about a specific item, feel free to contact us before donating.

While we’re incredibly grateful for your generosity, we’re unable to accept furniture donations due to limited storage space.

However, we work closely with two fantastic local charities — Armchair and Roundabout in Evesham — who do accept furniture and may be able to arrange collection or delivery.

We encourage you to contact them directly if you have furniture you’d like to donate.

What items do homeless people need most in summer and winter?

People experiencing homelessness face different challenges throughout the year, and seasonal donations can make a huge difference.

Summer essentials include:

• Bottled water & reusable water bottles
• Sun hats & sun cream
• Lightweight clothing
• New underwear & socks
• Insect repellent

Winter essentials include:

• Warm coats & thermal layers
• Gloves, hats & thick socks
• Waterproof boots
• Sleeping bags & blankets
• Hand warmers

You can find our latest seasonal donation needs on our Donate Page.

Donations can be dropped at our Worcester Day Centre. For questions or larger donations, contact fundraising@maggsdaycentre.co.uk.

Yes! We welcome volunteers who want to make a difference in their community.

There are various volunteering opportunities at Maggs, including:

• Helping in our day centres (serving food, organising donations)
• Supporting our Clothing Project
• Assisting at fundraising events
• Sharing professional skills (e.g. admin, wellbeing, maintenance)

To find out more or express your interest, please email volunteers@maggsdaycentre.co.uk or visit our Volunteer Page.

We’d love for you to get involved!

You can find everything you need — from fundraising ideas to downloadable resources — on our Fundraising page. Whether you’re planning a sponsored challenge, a bake sale, or something completely unique, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Visit our Fundraising page to get started, or contact us at fundraising@maggsdaycentre.co.uk if you’d like to chat through your ideas!

Sadly, no — homelessness comes in many forms, and rough sleeping is just one visible part of a much bigger issue.

While rough sleepers are the most recognisable face of homelessness — sleeping on the streets, in parks, or doorways — many others experience less visible forms of housing insecurity:

• Statutory homelessness refers to people who are legally entitled to support from their local council. This includes those in temporary accommodation, such as hostels or emergency housing.

• Hidden homelessness affects individuals who aren’t eligible for support or don’t show up in official statistics. These people may be sofa surfing, staying in hotels, hostels, or even squatting — often moving from place to place without a stable home.

At Maggs, we support people across this spectrum — not just those rough sleeping, but also those in temporary, unstable, or insecure housing situations.

This is a common and harmful misconception.

People become homeless for a wide range of reasons — many of which have nothing to do with substance use. These can include:

• A lack of affordable housing

• Poverty or unemployment

• Mental or physical health issues

• Escaping domestic violence or abuse

• Leaving prison, care, or the armed forces with no home to return to

• Sudden life changes like a relationship breakdown or job loss

While it’s true that some people experiencing homelessness struggle with alcohol or drug use, this is often a result of their circumstances, not the cause. Living without stable housing is incredibly traumatic, and some turn to substances as a way to cope.

At Maggs, we focus on understanding each person’s story without judgement — and providing the support they need to rebuild their life.

While we understand the instinct to give money to someone in need, we don’t actively encourage giving cash directly. There are other ways to offer support that can make a lasting difference.

One alternative is to give shop vouchers, which allow individuals to choose what they need — whether that’s food, a warm drink, or personal items — in a safe and flexible way.

You can also support by donating to local services like Maggs, where we provide hot meals, clothing, showers, and tailored support to help people move forward.

A kind word, a smile, or simply acknowledging someone can also go a long way in showing dignity and respect.

You can find the address here.

The postcode for the car park is WR1 3BQ which is where anyone can come to donate their donations. We also have a donations bin for out of hours donations around the back of the building.

Please note that we do not accept donations at our Malvern Day Centre, due to limited storage.

Service users are referred internally but we work with organisations across the county such as our Citizen’s Advice Bereau, St Paul’s Hostel, Hope Church and Cranstoun who will give the individual a Maggs’ referral form.

Other organisations can request a referral form from us by getting in touch on 01905 25027 or emailing maggsclothingproject@maggsdaycentre.co.uk.

No – our Accommodation Project is not an emergency service. It provides longer-term supported housing for people who are homeless or sofa surfing and have a local connection to Worcestershire. Access to our accommodation is through a referral process from professional agencies, including:

• Local council housing teams
• Citizens Advice
• Probation services
• Other homelessness accommodation providers
• Our own Maggs day centres and outreach teams

For emergency accommodation, you’ll need to contact your local council and complete a homelessness application. Each area has its own contact details:

📍 Bromsgrove – Home Choice Plus: bdht.co.uk | 01527 534069
📍 Redditch – Redditch Homes: redditchbc.gov.uk | 01527 534069
📍 Worcester, Wychavon & Malvern Hills – housingforyou.co.uk | 01905 722589 / 01386 565000 (Option 5)
📍 Wyre Forest – Home Choice Plus: 01562 732928

🆘 Out of hours emergency numbers:

• Bromsgrove & Redditch: 01527 67666
• Worcester, Wychavon & Malvern: 01905 722233
• Wyre Forest: 01562 547694

No, we do not accept or give out tents to our service users. Only in exceptional circumstances, but this is on a very rare occasion.

In the event we’ve had to, we offer Sleeping Pods, which were kindly donated to us from here.

When you arrive, a member of staff or a volunteer will welcome you and explain how the Day Centre works.

You will have the opportunity to:

• have a hot drink and something to eat
• access showers and laundry facilities (where available)
• speak privately with staff about your situation
• receive advice and support with housing, health and other needs
• connect with other services and support

We aim to provide a safe, welcoming environment where you can feel respected and supported.

Yes. If you are homeless or struggling to cope, you are welcome to come to our Day Centre during opening hours.

Our team will speak with you, understand your situation and help you access the support you need. You do not need an appointment.

Some of our specialist services require referrals, but we can help guide you through this.

Yes. If you are worried about losing your accommodation, sofa surfing, or facing eviction, we can offer advice and support.

We can help you understand your options, connect you with housing services and other support, and work with you to prevent homelessness wherever possible.

The earlier you seek help, the more options may be available.